Good Samaritan finds bag of cash, earns reward for turning it in to police

Marshall County Tribune Courier

May 20, 2014 | 3907 views | 0 | 80 | |

—Chris Wilcox/Tribune-Courier
Good Samaritan Randall “Rambo” Anderson was out riding his bike recently when he found a bank bag containing $520. He turned it over to police who were able to return it to the owner.

A Marshall County man is being hailed by the community as a role model after turning in a bag of cash he found on the side of the road while riding his bike along U.S. Hwy. 68 near Fairdealing earlier this month.

Forty-three-year-old Randall “Rambo” Anderson never thought twice about doing the right thing when he found a bank bag containing $520.

Anderson has a developmental disability, but that didn’t stop him from knowing someone somewhere was looking for the money.

Marshall County Sheriff Byars said some might have taken the money and run, but Anderson was quick to contact the sheriff’s department.

“I’m not sure what most people would do if they found a bag of money with no identification attached to it, but Randall did the right thing,” Byars said. “He turned it over to the Sheriff’s Department and with Rambo’s help we were able to get it back to the owner.”

Randall’s father, Gerry Anderson, 74, said his son left the house early Sunday morning and found the bank bag on the side of the road at around 7.

“The sheriff told Randall if no one claimed it in 30 days he would’ve gotten the money back since he was the one who found it,” he said. “But Randall was out riding later Sunday afternoon and by coincidence our friend Ray (Gordon) was driving by and asked Randall if he had seen a money bag and Randall said he had given it to the sheriff.”

Byars said Ray Gordon collected the bag of money Sunday afternoon stating that he had lost it Saturday night.

Gordon told Byars he was leaving his house Saturday night when he set the bag on the roof of his car and then ran inside to grab something else.

When he came back outside to leave he forgot the bag was on top of his car and proceeded to leave his driveway. It eventually fell off onto the side of the roadway where Randall found it.

Randall said he didn’t know what to think when he first found the bag full of money.

“Anyone else would’ve probably kept it, but I wasn’t raised like that so I gave it to my buddy the sheriff,” he said. “I’m just glad we could get it back to the right man.”

According to Gerry, as a token of his appreciation Gordon gave Randall $50 for being honest and turning the money over to the sheriff.

Gordon said there weren’t many people left in his opinion that would be willing to give up that large a sum of free money.

“He’s a nice boy for doing that and because he was so honest I gave him a reward and told him how much I appreciated it,” Gordon said.

Gerry said the reward was nice, but wasn’t necessary, his son was just doing what was right.

“I’m really proud of him, but really he just did what anyone should of done and what we raised him to do,” Gerry said.

Randall said he wasn’t expecting any kind of reward for turning in the money; he was just doing the right thing.

“I was surprised. I don’t know what I’ll do with the money,” he said. “I like to play video games so I might spend it on that.”

Randall lives at home with his parents who are both retired, but is well known in the community for riding his bike every day rain or shine.

Byars said Randall is routinely seen in the Fairdealing community riding his bicycle.

“Randall rides his bike through the community all day every day,” he said. “He must go through two or three bycycles every year – last year the community got together and bought him a really nice mountain bike.”

Byars said it was good to know there were still honest men in the community like Randall.